Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I have a blogging friend "The Queen". We haven't actually met, so she could be one of the following Queens:

Latifah

Musical

Defender of the Faith

Elizabeth

Anywho...she has tagged me and I accept the 7 Things Challenge. Now I am to follow some rules. Everyone knows I am not good at that. I am suppose to share 7 things about myself that nobody knows. That is going to be tough because I have a hard time keeping my mouth closed and opinions to myself, so everything is pretty much out there already. So, here goes....

1. I always wanted to play the cello or drums. The cello is so sophisticated, completely unlike me. The drums are so Karen Carpenter.

2. I don't like people touching me. Specifically, I do not enjoy double cheek kisses or when Big Daddy rubs the beds of my finger nails. Totally creeps me out. It's ok now, he knows better. However, I love sincere hugs!

3. I remember faces and names of almost everyone I have met. Does that make me a great friend? Sometimes, it's just one or the other,( face or name) but usually both. It makes me crazy when I can't place someone.

4. Child Protective Services interviewed me for child abuse, my own child. That was funny! The social worker left wondering why I had not actually beaten my child. If you knew Child X then, you would understand.

5. I am not as mean as I use to be. For those of you who haven't known me long, you think it's bad now....you did not want to be around then. Actually, I am just opinionated and judgmental. Hum...let's go back to mean.

6. I say I don't like chocolate, but I do. I just prefer fruit and other flavors more.

7. I am a freak of ... well, I haven't decided. It use to be fabric and wallpaper. Now I think it's paper. I have boxes of paper in all shapes and sizes. I love the patterns and colors. So, paper freak it is!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Finally! Little League season is over. As the reluctant team mom, I was never so happy. I swear on a See's candy box, I will never volunteer to be team/room mom again. Too much pressure! Oye!Drama's team had a little party and of course, I volunteered to make a cake. Not just any cake, gotta have a theme....

Drama took a taste of his while I wasn't looking. Can you find his???

This was my first tiny try at fondant. It scares me. Kinda like the Real Housewives of New Jersey. But it was kind of fun and not too difficult to work with. Probably also like the R.H. of N.J.

In fact, they're similar, the ladies and the cake...something is not quite right.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Last Friday we celebrated Lazy Boy's completion of middle school. It was difficult, but he managed to get through it, alive. In our neck of the woods you don't graduate from middle school. You get "promoted". Some parents didn't get the memo. 13 year olds showed up in tuxes, limos, etc. I guess promotion is the highest standard in their home. To us, this is but a stepping stone. There is high school, missions, college, grad school, etc. I am overachieving for my children in my dreams. I tell everyone I am grooming Drama for greatness. Heaven knows I waited too long to start with Lazy Boy and Sweet Pea.

But, back to his big day.

This was one of the very few days that he asked me what he should wear. Sweet Pea and I both said the same thing,"Ya gotta wear the pie hat." My mother, HRM, calls it a "pork pie hat". I don't know why, but she is old skool Sinata style. She knows

these kinds of things, so we just go with it.

But he looked stellar...almost. We sat about 30 feet behind him and I couldn't get his attention, so I texted him "tuck in your shirt". He laughed.

HRM, a.k.a.Noni, The Princess, Lazy Boy and Big Daddy

Lazy Boy and friends, Chris and Alan

they are Mexican, but need better Mexican names.

I shall call them Cristobal and Alejandro.

Geez...I am a giant. Wait a year, he'll be taller than me, and hopefully bigger.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

I have been thinking and threatening for months and finally got Big Daddy on board. As of 13 days ago we disconnected our selves from the electronic world. We did the unthinkable, we disconnected FIOS TV!I hated paying all that money to Verizon. So no more reruns of Seinfeld, but really, they are all memorized in my head. Then to all insult to injury we disconnected our our home LANDLINE. Sorry to those of you who can no longer call me on a whim. If we were that good of friends, you would have my cell number. Consider this a "defriend" notice.

Many of you thought I would have been murdered in my sleep by my children, but they are on board. Why, I have no idea. They were tv junkies, and now, not. I even came home the first day to see Lazy Boy sitting in his usual cartoon spot on the couch reading a book. ON HIS OWN! Can you believe that?

Why did I wait so long? Big Daddy wanted to watch his games and races, but since he is never home, he came to his senses. As for the phone, everyone but Drama have one. And who really wants to talk to an 8 year-old? It is so quiet at home. I love it. I get to listen to Sweet Pea play the million $$$ piano and lessons we've paid for.

How do I do it? Here is the secret-internet tv. Most everything can be found on the internet and it's free, which ya'll know is my M.O. Big Daddy is a genius (Drama even says he wants to be a computer genius like him when he grows up). He connected an older Macbook to our tv and Hulu. You've seen those commericals on tv with Alec Baldwin. Most of my "programs" can be found there FREE! Once again, streaming into my bedroom. I have watched everything from Royal Pains pilot (kind dumb), Chuck and my current obsession- reruns of Mary Tyler Moore show. There are 72 shows to watch, so I am pacing myself to savor them over the summer.Our other hook up is Netflix, which has an good online catalogue. I can hardly pay $9 a month.

We stream old classics and tv series to the flatscreen in our bedroom. So far I've watched "Jane Austen Book Club" (liked the book better), Persuasion (1994), The Office with Ricky Gervais, and a terrific documentary about Glen Tilford (from Squeeze) etc.

The only shows I am missing are Graham Norton and some other sordid BBC-America shows.

I was worried about Conference and other church stuff on BYU channel. But being so righteous, the powers that be have created a BYU internet channel just in time. Coincidence? I think not.

So here is to internet tv! By the way, I still have way, WAY too many televisions in my house. Anyone need a 36 inch tv as perhaps an endtable?

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

My life is pretty chaotic, mostly by my own design. I say "Sure" to most requests before I think about it. It's the Mormon Guilt Factor, I believe. It's not like I am trying to be a martyr. I usually think I can do everything, or want to try. Recently I have gotten way, WAY over my head. Room Mom-"Sure", Little League Team Mom-"Sure", PTA whatever "SURE", etc. You get the picture. So, outside of my home, I am amazing, or competent. Inside, disaster! The only one thing that works is meals. I have a system to planned meals so that I have answers for:

A) "What's for dinner?"

B) Didn't we just eat Macaroni and Cheese 2 nights ago

C) My brain is fried, what's in the freezer?

A couple of years ago my friend Leslie (Hi Leslie! ) had this fabulous dinner calendar on her frig. I CASE'd it and made it my own. CASE stands for Copy And Steal Everything. I am not a super creative person, but I CASE everything. Why re-create the wheel?

double click picture to see close up awesomeness

Anyone who has been to my kitchen has seen this on the frig. Sometimes I use it faithfully. Other times, like during WW III (Weight Watchers, 3rd round) , I put it away. Well, it's time to dust off the dinner menu and get ready for summer. Being the completely selfless person I am (that was our FHE lesson last night), I am sharing another "Favorite Things" with you, my friend.

To download, go to the "More" tab next to Scribd above. Choose "Save a document". Don't choose print. It won't be the right size. Once you download each page you can print out each separately. I glued the calendar part to a 12 x 12 inch fancy schmancy paper, then laminated ("LAMINATED"-from Daddy Daycare). The months and meals also get laminated. Then, cut little squares of Velcro and attach to each day on the calendar and each meal gets the opposite side of the Velcro. Then I glued magnets on the back of the calendar.

The meals can be substituted for your families favorites. I found that my family eats about the same 30-40 things all the time. Some are seasonal, like chili and roast turkey. I keep extra meals and months in a baggie next to the refrigerator. Also, when I try a new recipe I always ask the family if it gets invited back. That doesn't happen so often. However, if it does, it gets it's own little square.